This invention relates generally to exhaust gas cooling systems for vehicles and in particular, to an exhaust gas exit pipe, to a side exhaust pipe retrofit, to a cooling fin, to a cooling fin system retrofit, to an exhaust gas cooling system kit, to a side exhaust pipe retrofit kit and to a cooling fin kit. The invention is particularly well-suited for retrofitting a side exhaust pipe to a vehicle using the vehicle's original catalytic converters, original Y pipe or H pipe, original headers and manifolds and the original placement of mufflers and for retrofitting a cooling fin system to the vehicle's exhaust system, e.g., the vehicle's muffler, Y pipe or H pipe, inlet tube and outlet tube of the muffler, catalytic converter or engine parts, such as, but not limited to, manifolds, oil pan, engine block, and bell housing.
A most difficult problem is cooling vehicle exhaust gases. Vehicle exhaust gases passing from the engine manifold often reach 900 degrees to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically the exhaust gases exit from the manifold through the exhaust pipe and enter a muffler with temperatures of 1150-1250 degrees Fahrenheit. Under most circumstances, the muffler temperature (caused by the engine exhaust gases passing through it) in a vehicle does not exceed 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. However during extreme circumstances, such as during hard acceleration of the vehicle, during the climbing of altitude with the vehicle, e.g., going up a steep incline, or mountain, pulling a trailer with the vehicle or driving the vehicle during extreme outdoor temperature, e.g., desert day temperatures, the temperature of the automobile muffler should not exceed 1250 degrees Fahrenheit. The exhaust gases pass through the muffler and then pass out through a tail pipe or through a side exhaust system and then exit from the vehicle. Thus, the exhaust gases also give off their heat to the side exhaust system.
A vexatious problem, largely unattended in the art, is the lack of an exhaust gas cooling system for vehicles which utilizes a side exhaust pipe retrofit on the vehicle and a cooling fin system retrofit. The use of elongate exhaust pipes is known, e.g., see, U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,408 to Lawrence, U.S. Pat. No. 3,070,187 to Deremer, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,805,548 and 2,706,014 to Carroll.
Sporty-looking vehicles having a side exhaust system, e.g., "performance" vehicles, are desirable for the car or truck enthusiast who desires the beautiful appearance of a chrome coated side exhaust pipe, e.g., lake pipe, mounted on the exterior side of the vehicle just below the vehicle's doors. This location of the side exhaust pipe also advantageously places the deep booming sound of the exhaust system at a location on the outside of the vehicle allowing the driver to hear the pleasurable deep booming sound of the engine. The very desirable characteristic of placing the side exhaust pipes in the historic and aesthetically pleasing location on the sides of the vehicle just below the doors of the vehicle, unfortunately poses a heat safety hazard for persons and pets who might come in contact with the side exhaust pipe. Unfortunately these persons and pets may suffer burns to the legs and hands (or legs and paws for pets) from accidentally contacting the hot side exhaust pipe and/or shield. Also, the side exhaust pipe and muffler may be so hot as to ignite combustible materials located near the ground or suspended on vegetation which come into contact with the side exhaust pipe and/or the muffler.
Furthermore, due to the excessive heat build up in the side exhaust pipe, the attractive chrome coating of the side exhaust pipe becomes burnt giving a characteristic "blues-out" or "blued-out" appearance or "browned-out" appearance, as is known to those automobile hobbyists (enthusiasts). By "blues-out", "blued-out" or "browned-out", is meant that the chrome coating has a blue black tint to it, rather than a lustrous, shiny chrome appearance.
The excessive heat can also cause deterioration to a vehicle's exterior, discoloring the vehicle's paint and wrinkling plastic parts, such as plastic bumpers and plastic ground effects. In addition, due to excessive heating of the entire exhaust system in the vehicle, including mufflers, connecting pipes, clamps, brackets, emission equipment, as well as, the side exhaust pipe, passengers are sometimes inconvenienced, since the excessive heat sometimes creates hot floor pan areas and even hot passenger compartments in the vehicle.
In the past, the industry servicing the performance vehicle enthusiast, e.g., the "performance exhaust industry", has strived to solve the problem of better performance exhaust with increased horsepower, increased fuel economy, increased torque, increased acceleration and increased life of mechanical parts. The term "performance" means herein throughout, that the vehicle (automobile or truck) has less restrictive exhaust gas flow and volume as compared to conventional vehicles. In the art, a performance exhaust system is an exhaust system that provides for increased flow of exhaust gas as compared to typical exhaust system configurations and the performance exhaust system provides for increased sound production as compared to typical exhaust systems for vehicles in a same vehicle class. Also the performance exhaust system is typically constructed of superior materials as compared to typical original equipment in both appearance and durability. Furthermore, a performance system is at least one pipe size larger than the pipe installed at the factory on a given vehicle.
Presently the performance exhaust industry uses exhaust pipes having a tubing inner diameter or pipe diameter, e.g., "pipe size", of a minimum of 1 and 7/8 inches. The inlet tube and the outlet tube are stock sized to fit the exhaust pipe diameter. The entire performance exhaust industry has desired to use larger diameter exhaust pipes, e.g., 2.25 inch, 2.5 inch, 2.75 inch, 3 inch or greater diameter exhaust pipes, to create better sound and to create a better appearance, e.g., larger exhaust pipes, but has not been able to fully utilize the larger diameter side exhaust pipes because the larger inner diameter causes more exhaust gas heat to pass through to the side exhaust pipes, causing the entire exhaust gas system to become about as hot as the engine manifold itself, e.g., 900 degrees Fahrenheit to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some prior art, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 2,096,260 to Pavillon has attempted to respond to some of the heat safety problems of placing elongate exhaust pipes alongside the sides of the vehicle, by utilizing heat shields and heat insulation pads to help avoid injuries.
Some prior art has attempted to respond to cooling of automotive engine part using fins for cooling, e.g., for mufflers, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,187,834 to Bryson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 1,671,829 to Ledwinka and for oil filters, see, U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,824 to Gasseling, U.S. Pat. No. 2,798,695 to Arleque. None of the prior art has responded with a simple to use cooling fin system retrofit which is easily assembled, which allows selection of cooling fins varying in fin base dimensions, fin spacing, fin height, selection of fin number, and which in the cooling fin design allows for air flow through a portion of the cooling fin itself.
Thus, notwithstanding the many known practical design problems for providing a cooler side exhaust pipe which when made of chrome or plated with chrome does not become burnt, which delivers engine sound to the driver at the driver's location, which does not result in hot floor pan areas and hot passenger compartments due to the exhaust system and which permits the use of larger diameter side exhaust pipes, the art has not adequately responded to date with the introduction of an exhaust gas cooling system for a vehicle utilizing a side exhaust pipe retrofit and/or a cooling fin system retrofit.